Bill C-35, Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act
A federal bill intended to set out the federal government's "vision for a Canada-wide early learning and child care system" has finally been passed more than a year after its introduction. Bill C-35,Canada Early Learning and Child Care Actreceived Royal Assent on March 19, 2024 after first being introduced in the House of Commons on December 8, 2022.
The Act enshrines guiding principles for federal investments in a Canada-wide child care system, with a goal for Canadians to "have access to regulated high-quality, inclusive early learning and child care for an average cost of $10-a-day by March 2026" according to a March 20, 2024 news release from Employment and Social Development Canada.
Of note, the Act sets out guiding principles for Canada's early learning and child care system, including a system that aims to "support the provision of, and facilitate equitable access to, high-quality early learning and child care programs and services — in particular those that are provided by public and not for profit child care providers — that meet standards set by provincial governments or Indigenous governing bodies, that are reflective of other evidence-based best practices in high-quality service provision and that respond to the varying needs of children and families", and that is accessible to families of all income levels and inclusive of systematically marginalized grounds.
The Act also sets out the federal government's commitment to maintain long-term funding for programs and services, which will be provided "primarily through agreements with the provincial governments and Indigenous governing bodies and other Indigenous entities that represent the interests of an Indigenous group and its members."
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